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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · stem · wave · land · court · band · fork · nail

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. court — of law
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of a king
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. band — a music group
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — a country
  20. court — for sport
  21. land — ground
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com